We get to live happily ever after!

It’s wedding season! At least it is for my daughters who are in their mid-twenties. So many of their peers are getting married. The brides are always so beautiful, aren’t they? It’s not just their youth. Many times it feels to me that God blesses brides because marriage reflects His Story for us.

We are Christ’s Bride.

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:2)

Collectively, all Christians worldwide form the Body of Christ. God doesn’t dwell in a building, but in His children. Collectively, each of us is a “living stone” in the spiritual house God is building: …you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)

He inhabits us individually and as a whole.  At the end of time, we will be presented to Jesus as His Bride, pure and spotless. Perhaps women can grasp that more than men. Collectively, men and women, form the Bride of Christ.

We will feast.

We will feast together at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. As wonderful as those wedding receptions are that my daughters are attending, no wedding reception will come close to the feast we will enjoy together as believers. Revelation 19:9 says, And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Everyone on the globe is invited to this feast, all the way up to the last minute of time. I have sent in my RSVP, have you?

We will live happily ever after.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Marriages on earth include trials. Relationship problems and tough circumstances will hunt us down and test our faith to its breaking point. Hopefully, we use such opportunities to let the Spirit of God love our spouse more than we can. Hopefully we fight the good fight and let the difficulties strengthen our character. To respond this way requires us to battle the sinful tendencies in each of us. To win the battle, we must confess our sin every day and forgive others in order to make sure the Holy Spirit has all the room He needs to do His work in and through us. Every day we must decide to die to our selfish desires in order to respond well in His strength, not our own.

Sounds so hard, doesn’t it? It is so hard! In fact, I believe it’s easier to focus on the difficult circumstances and people in our lives than to focus on the inward battle that rages in our own hearts. But in heaven, my friends, the fight with sinful flesh will vanish! We won’t want to sin anymore! We will literally be able to do whatever we feel like doing for the rest of eternity because all of our desires will be pure! I love that thought!

The end of the story is not far away.

Compared to eternity, this life we are living is nothing but a blink. In a very real sense, our eternity in the new heavens and earth begins “tomorrow.” As you attend weddings this summer, allow your spirit to be encouraged that your life as a Christian is a real-life fairy tale and you will live happily ever after.

Picture Explanation: This week I feature pictures from my first day of “happily ever after.” Who are those young people as the bride and groom? Also, our son had his last day of 8th grade. As high school looms ahead, it’s so comforting to remember that his story is also guaranteed to have a happily ever after ending.

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